Gary Cannon Nichols, born in Monticello, Utah, in 1951, was widely known as Utah’s “king of kayaking.” And it’s true that Gary ran more stretches of Utah whitewater; did more first descents; and put in more days on Utah’s rivers than just about anyone. The numbers alone bear this out: Sixteen first descents in Utah; 100 sections of Utah rivers and creeks run successfully; hundreds and hundreds of students taught and imbued with Gary’s own love of the outdoors. Gary was legendary for his skill in a kayak; it was rumored that when State Street in Salt Lake City was turned into a river during the big floods of 1983, Gary was out on the street in his boat. As was said of an earlier Utah River Runner, Nathaniel Galloway, Gary could “run a boat on a heavy dew.”

But numbers and titles belie the real person that was Gary Nichols, a loving husband and father, who taught his own children and his grandchildren that being outdoors is not only healthy but creates precious memories. Gary is  known as a much admired instructor who taught thousands of students in his University of Utah classes of kayaking, canoeing, backpacking and other outdoor skills. 

Gary taught over 600 classes that he developed during his 41 year career at the University of Utah. He spent over 2000 teaching days in the field with his beloved students, of which there were over 10,000. Obviously Gary touched many lives through his classes, but he went further by publishing three guidebooks to river running on Utah’s wild rivers and hiking in Utah’s backcountry. Every one of the rivers he described in his books was one he himself had run, often as a first descent. And Gary found other outlets for his love of teaching, working at Recreational Equipment Incorporated in Salt Lake City for 26 years. There Gary was always ready to help a customer with a question about what kind of gear to buy, or where to take it and try it out.